Little Happies -- Our Rhode Island Getaway

John and I spent the past week in Rhode Island with my family and it was fantastic! So many Little Happies from our 5-day trip. Here are the best of 'em...

(Psst -- There are a fair number of baby and toddler pics and stories in this post, so if you're not in the mood to hear about little youngsters today, feel free to skip this one. And hugs to you!)

--one--

It was just so good to see family! Most of our time was spent bee-bopping around the state, hanging out with our favorite loved ones that we haven't seen it about a year. Gosh, it had been too long. Here's a cute pic my husband snapped of me and my mom. She's pretty, that one! Thanks for being a lovely host, mother dear.

--two--

Being near the ocean again was another little treat of the week. We hardly ever see it anymore, seeing as Tennessee is landlocked and at least a 5-hour drive from a nice sea breeze. So, when it was time to decide what we wanted for lunch our first full day in RI, obviously clam cakes and chowdah by the ocean was the perfect choice. Above you see a pic of my handsome enjoying the sea and then a pic of me and my sister enjoying it too. Another Little Happy here is John's nautical-ish sweater. Love that top!

--three--
(Are you ready for cute overload?)

These two noodles are the joy of my life. I love being auntie to two of the cutest, kindest kids on the planet. We stopped for a little ice cream after a not-so-competitive round of mini golf, and my mom snapped these two pics of me with my favorite little people. Lindsey was so happy to cuddle and play with me the whole week and baby David was really good at smiling, cooing, and vomiting all over the place. It's a good thing he's cute!

--four--
(Are you ready for even more cute overload??)

My brother and sister-in-law may have found the cutest kitty in the world. This little guy was discovered crying outside of SIL's dance studio (yes, my SIL is cool and owns an Irish step dance studio, no big) and she just had to take him home. They named him Felix and are super experts at feeding him from a bottle, teaching him how to use the potty (we won't get into details), cuddling him in Spiderman blankets, and raising him right. 

We spent our second full day in Rhode Island meeting up with several great folks around the state -- my brother and SIL for breakfast at Olga's Cup + Saucer, a cute bakery with a romantic outdoor patio, followed by kitty cuddle time in their downtown loft apartment; lunch at Seven Moons, a delicious Asian cuisine stop, to meet a good high school friend; back to my parents' house for a much needed nap; and finally dinner at Boneheads, recently voted best buffalo wings in RI and owned by a family friend, for dinner with parents, younger brother, and his girlfriend. Whew. It was fun eating our way around the state and spending every hour in good company, but this introverted girl needed a little extra sleep that night to recharge the batts. 

--five--

On our last full day in RI, we spent the afternoon at a neat little hands-on aquarium called Biomes. Lindsey (my niece) was in ocean heaven, running around, excited about every single sea creature she saw. Though, she was quite the scaredy cat when it came time to touch them. Ah well, twas still very fun and we learned some cool fishy facts! Plus, I got to spend 70% of the time with baby David hanging out ON me in a Moby wrap. It was my first experience with baby wearing and it was... pretty fun! Very easy on the back, and who doesn't like having a cute 3-month-old attached to them? 

--six--

After our trip to Biomes, Lindsey wanted to play a round of her new game, Disney Dazzling Princess, so of course we obliged. She was really good at showing off her bling. Even better at kicking us in the bums and beating us to victory. That little lady has luck on her side, that's for sure.

Sidenote -- We tried to buy her Pretty, Pretty Princess (remember that game, ladies?), but apparently they don't make it anymore, or don't make enough, because it's currently around $90 on amazon. Another 90s game bites the dust. Are we getting old or something?

--seven--

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL.

That's really all I have to say about this Little Happy. But I suppose if you'd like to hear more...

John and I don't have cable, just an Apple TV (with Netflix and Hulu) and an antenna for basic channels. So HGTV is my JAM whenever we travel somewhere with it... AKA my parents' house. I will spend hours (usually the wee hours of the night) watching House Hunters, Love It or List It, Property Brothers, and basically any other show they're airing at any time. LOVE. This channel is God's gift to me, I'm pretty sure of it.

--eight--

A sweet college friend, Sarah, is so excited that we're adopting. She sent us the most lovely getting-ready-for-baby package in the mail, complete with little descriptive post-it notes on each gift. Her thoughtfulness warmed our hearts upon returning from our trip, as this package of love was waiting for us in our mailbox upon arrival. All the items are tucked away for now, but we're looking forward to (hopefully) using them soon. Thank you, friend!

--nine--

Ok, one last one, I promise. Remember how I mentioned mini golf above? Here's an adorbs video of my niece super-failing at getting the ball in the hole. Let's just say 18 holes lasted a while, but I loved every minute of it. 

PS -- Sorry for holding the camera phone the wrong way. I dislike vertical videos like that. My apologies!

PPS -- Sorry if the video doesn't work. I'm a little bit of a technology dodo sometimes. Just know that she's super cute and super bad at holding the club the right way and super even worse at being patient enough to aim the ball, all in one. 

Thanks for reading along, friends! Hope you enjoyed reading about the best littlest state there is. If you ever visit RI, please let me know. I know the state like the back of my hand... I mean, I did grow up there for my first 21 years of life, ya know. I'll create for you the best RI travel guide you'll ever encounter, and that's a fact!

Looking forward to reading all of your Happies. Hope your joy is plentiful and your sorrow non-existant this week. (And always!)

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